The Phoenix's Raven - Revised Edition
by Orym Hawksong
Summary: HP/CC Harry is destined to face off against Voldemort. Nothing is that simple however. Magical Britain has been without a king for too long. Battle lines will be drawn, friendships will be tested, and lives will be lost. Ancient powers bide their time, waiting for the result. Rating will eventually change to M. [This is the revised edition of The Phoenix's Raven]
1. Chapter 1

Harry stared down at his hands. They looked so distant, so alien that he wasn't even sure if they were his. He felt… horrible, to say the least. A fellow student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that he had come to respect and admire was dead because of him. Cedric Diggory had died because of him. His future, hopes, friends, family, everything had been cruelly wrenched away from Cedric Diggory. Everything… including Cho Chang.

Harry sighed as he buried his face into his pillow. Here he was, the man responsible for the death of her boy friend and yet he was already thinking about how much he liked her. _"I'm such git… Cedric just died because of me and I'm already thinking about his girlfriend?"_ Harry looked up as he heard the creak of the infirmary's doors. What little strength Harry had managed to regain drained away as he saw Cho Chang walking towards him. He could practically hear his heart zooming into overdrive. He was sure not even his Firebolt could have kept up with the pace his heart was beating at.

As he struggled to regain his composure Harry noticed that Cho wasn't wearing the standard black robes of Hogwarts students, she was wearing a simple black dress. He could tell that she had been crying. Even though he could see the fresh tear marks on her face, they did nothing to mar her beauty. Her long, raven black hair rippled like water as it cascaded around her. The simple black dress didn't make her appear common; instead, the dress enhanced her natural attractiveness. Harry's breath caught in his chest, to him; at the very least, Cho was nothing short of perfect.

"Cho… I'm-" choked Harry before she shushed him.

Cho sat down next to Harry's bed and studied him for what seemed like ages. Harry shifted uncomfortably underneath Cho's gaze. Until now Professor Dumbledore was the only who seemed to see right through him. Right now, Harry felt like Cho was staring into the very depths of his soul.

"Harry, I want to hear it from you. What happened last night?" whispered Cho.

"Cho… I don't think that this is the best time." Said Harry.

"Harry please, I need to know what happened." Said Cho her eyes glinting fiercely with determination.

At the sight of new tears forming in her eyes, all resistance within Harry crumpled. Cursing himself for being so weak Harry slowly nodded. As he recounted the events of that fateful night Cho's expression changed from shock, to fear, and then; Harry though he saw the flicker of a teary smile when he told her about them deciding on who would grab the cup, to anguished pain when he told her how Cedric died, to awe, and finally to understanding.

"Did…did he feel any pain?" breathed Cho.

"I don't think so. His face just seemed surprised, not in pain, not in fear. Just…surprised." Replied Harry as he looked down. With a jolt, he realized that while he was talking to Cho he had cupped her hand in his own. As Cho followed his gaze the Asian beauty's face tinted to a slight pink as she broke the contact.

"Harry are you ok?" came a voice through the infirmary doors.

"Be quiet Ron! He's probably sleeping! I swear you're so tactless some times." Said a female voice.

"Ouch! Why'd you have to hit me Hermione!"

"Shut it!"

As Ron and Hermione burst through the infirmary doors they stopped dead in their tracks as they saw what appeared to be an intimate scene between Harry and Cho. Both knew that Harry had been nurturing a crush on Cho Chang since second year. "Right…sorry bout that mate… Well, eh hem We'll just go…" said Ron meekly as he dragged Hermione back through the door.

If Cho had been blushing before it was nothing to the shade of crimson her face was now. Harry was apologize profusely for his friends, but that only seemed to make matters worse. Half of him was furious that Ron and Hermione had walked in on him like this, but the other half was relieved, who knows how he might have embarrassed himself.

"Thank you Harry. I…appreciate you telling me. I know it must've been… hard." Said Cho as she swallowed.

"Er, yeah no problem." Replied Harry sheepishly.

"Well, I better go… I hope you get better soon Harry."

As Cho turned to leave, Harry went against his better judgment and called out to her. "Cho! If- If you just need to talk… you can always come to me." Said Harry, mentally praying that it hadn't come out like the incoherent stream of sounds he thought he said. Cho flashed him an uncertain smile before walking out the door. After Cho left Ron burst into the room dragging an exasperated Hermione in by the wrist.

"So? What'd she want mate?" asked Ron eagerly. It had barely been a minute since Cho had left when Ron had burst pell-mell into the room determined to suck Harry dry of information.

"Ron! Leave him alone! That's none of your business." snapped Hermione as she glanced back at him after shooting a dirty look at Ron.

"What? It's not like they were snogging-" was all Ron could manage to say before Hermione started whacking him with a copy of _"Hogwarts, A History"_ and Harry turned bright scarlet.

"So how long are you going to have to stay in the Infirmary? Did Madam Pomfrey say?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah. She reckons that I'll have to stay until the end of the week." sighed Harry. "Truthfully, I don't want to leave. Everyone is going to be whispering and staring, and pointing. Again."

"But you'll get to see Cho, and everyone else. Fred and George won't admitted it but I know they're worried mate. Dean, Seamus and Neville won't stop asking about you." stated Ron with a brief moment of maturity.

"But how many of them are going to treat me like a freak?" groaned Harry as he sank back into the inviting warmth of his bed.

That night as Harry tried to sleep his thoughts inevitably turned to Cho. He replayed that moment in time when he had held her hand a thousand times. He tried to recall every detail. The feel of her hand against his, how warm her hand had felt in comparison with his.

As Harry James Potter drifted off into sleep, a small smile graced his face.

_The next four months were certainly going to be interesting._


	2. Chapter 2

After a week in the infirmary Madam Pomfrey had finally decided that Harry was well enough to leave, provided "You do not engage in strenuous activity, Potter!" Harry smiled to himself ruefully as he took the chance to stretch his muscles, they groaned after being used for the first time in a week. He kept to himself as he walked down to the Great Hall from the infirmary. He ignored the stares and whispers as he walked. Not even the sun shining warmly upon his face did anything to cheer him up. For the first time in his life, he had witnessed death, stared it in the face, even when he didn't deserve to. If anything Cedric deserved to be here, it had killed part of him when he saw that Cho had been crying.

"_She deserves better." _ Sighed Harry to himself.

"_Stop beating yourself over it. You were lucky to escape."_ Said a foreign, slightly annoyed voice.

"Who's there?"said Harry a little too loudly. A couple of his fellow students looked at him strangely and tried to get away as fast as possible.

"_Great… now everyone thinks I'm mental."_

"_Your own fault for being an idiot."_ Replied the voice smugly.

"_You- You're in my head!" _

"_About time you noticed."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_All in due time…boy, all in due time."_ and with that the voice vanished just as quickly as it had reappeared.

As Harry turned around a corner to enter the Great Hall he slammed into Cho Chang, as they both toppled backwards Harry was aghast.

"Cho! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Said Harry as he held out a hand that she took.

"It's my fault Harry, I wasn't looking at where I was walking. You look…better. Are you leaving the infirmary?" asked Cho as she brushed some dust off of her robes.

"Yeah, listen I forgot about it when you came to visit me last time but here… Cedric would have wanted you to have this. I found it in the pocket of his robes." Replied Harry as he handed her a small box and a scroll of parchment addressed to Cho. "Don't worry I didn't read it."

"Thank you, Harry." Whispered Cho as she gave him a smile, it was the first time he had seen her smile like that in awhile. Her smile melted him every time he saw it and today was no different. As Harry walked away Cho called back to him "Harry wait! I almost forgot! I was suppose to find you and take you to Professor Dumbledore's office."

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see me?" asked a confused Harry.

"I don't know why, Professor McGonagall just told me to find you and bring you to Professor Dumbledore." Answered an equally confused Cho.

As the pair walked back up to the seventh floor Harry couldn't help but notice how much better Cho looked. While not completely back to normal Cho seemed much happier since he had last saw her, the vibrancy that usually radiated from her was making a reappearance.

"You-uh- you look nice today." Said Harry.

"Oh, um… thanks." Said Cho as she smiled.

As they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Professor Dumbledore's Office they saw Professor McGonagall waiting for them. "Potter! Chang! It's about time! Come along." Said McGonagall sharply. With a confident 'cockroach clusters' from McGonagall, the stone gargoyle leapt aside.

As they reached the top of the stairs and entered they saw Dumbledore standing in front of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, some of the older Ravenclaw players, a beater from the Hufflepuff team, and Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore turned around as Harry, Cho, and McGonagall entered.

"Ah good... Mr. Potter, Miss Chang so nice that you could join us. I assume you do not know why I have called you together." Said Dumbledore in his gentle voice.

"Well, since I only see Quidditch players, I assume it has something to do with Quidditch?" asked Cho.

"Very astute Miss Chang, you do your house proud." Said Dumbledore with a small smile. "Now on to important matters. Given the impressive popularity of Quidditch, the Ministry of Magic along with the other magical governments are co-hosting a Junior Quidditch World Cup. Teams from almost every nation will be competing in it. I have asked for you to come here because you have all been selected for tryouts."

As Dumbledore finished there was a great deal of talking among the players, all eager for a chance to prove themselves to the world and; hopefully, play Quidditch professionally. As Dumbledore raised his hands however everyone quieted down.

"Now tryouts are at the beginning of summer, Harry I have already alerted your aunt and uncle, they are more than happy to have you not return for this summer. Until tryouts begin however each of you will be attending private training with a professional member of your position. Beaters, you will be training with the retired Kevin and Karl Broadmoor of the Falmouth Falcons." As Dumbledore said this two middle aged men jumped from the second floor of Dumbledore's office and landed in front of the students, and grinned.

"Chasers, you will be learning from Joscelind Wadcock, of Puddlemere United. Mr. Wood you will be learning from Meghan McCormack from Pride of Portree." Two more professional quidditch players appeared from nowhere.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Chang, and Mr. Malfoy you will be learning from someone you have come to know this year. I believe he has a great deal of respect for you in particular Harry. The three of you will be learning from Viktor Krum." Said Dumbledore, as his eyes twinkled.

Krum stepped out of the staircase and faced the three prospective seekers. He nodded to Draco, bowed to Cho, and clasped hands and grinned to Harry. The two grasped each other in a quick hug. While they had been competing against each other as champions a fierce respect for each other's skill had laid the foundation for a budding friendship.

"Vell, This vell be very interesting." Said Krum with a huge smile on his face.

"Now, I want all of you to collect your quidditch equipment and be at the pitch in half an hour, you will be excused from all classes for the rest of the day so I expect you to be working you hardest." Said Dumbledore, he had hardly finished before Krum was almost trampled by a mad horde of yelling and pushing students.

Down at the field Harry stretched his arms as his red and gold quidditch robes whipped around in the wind. He sighed, this whole year had felt incomplete. He was back where he belonged. He turned around and his heart skipped a beat, Cho Chang was walking towards them, Blue robes billowing out along with her jet-black hair.

"_God, she looks amazing."_

Harry could have sworn he heard a slight laugh in his head.

As Cho neared him she gave him a smile and wave. He returned it enthusiastically.

"Somvone seems excited." Said Krum with a raised eyebrow. Harry flushed with color. Krum chuckled and shook his head as Harry muttered darkly.

"Alvight seeing as everyvone is here ve shall begin. First vet's see how vast you can catch the snitch."

It was dinnertime, Harry groaned as his muscles ached. Krum's routine had not been kind. He looked over the Ravenclaw table to see Cho equally tired, his gaze shifted to see that Draco had fallen asleep face first on his plate of mashed potatoes, he grinned to himself. His eyes unconsciously flirted back to Cho, she smiling at him, he blushed, and she giggled. Turning away he stared into Ron's face.

"Congratulations mate!" yelled Ron as he thumped him on the back. "Junior World Cup! Moony and Padfoot'll flip when they find out!"

"Tsk. Tsk. Ron. We're hurt." Said George feigning pain.

"Nothing for you amazing brothers?" said Fred with a mock sob.

"Oh shut it you two, Charlie'll rip out his hair when he realizes that he missed this by being born before you guys."

"Harry." Said Fred as he looked up and pointed.

Cho Chang was walking towards them, still dressed in her seeker robes.

"Hey Harry, can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Cho, concern written all over his face.

"Sure, guys I'll see you back at the common room." Said Harry as he got up.

The two walked out onto the grounds and sat down at the front steps leading up to the castle, apart from the two of them it might as well have been abandoned. The sun had already set and the night sky twinkled with stars. A light wind ruffled Harry's Hair as he turned to look at Cho who was sitting next to him.

"Harry, when you said I could take to you? About anything?" whispered Cho as she stared off into the distance.

"Yeah?" _"Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes."_

"I would really appreciate one right now."

"Of course. I'm all ears."

"Cedric was talking about you before…. The Third Task. He asked me to give this to you. If-If he didn't come back." Whispered Cho as she handed Harry a folded note.

Harry unfolded the note and squinted at it under the starlight.

_Harry_

_ If you are reading this than I'm already gone. Don't worry, I knew beforehand I was going to die. It wasn't your fault. I overheard _Trelawney_ in her room and well, she was different. It wasn't your fault. Trelawny also said something about The Phoenix's Raven, I have no idea what it is but I'm sure it's important. Harry, this is my last request, take care of Cho for me. I know you like her, it's painfully obvious so treat her right. She deserves more than me._

_ Your friend,_

_Cedric Diggory_

"Well what does it say?" asked Cho impatiently. Harry realized she must not have read it.

"Um… well alright, just promise me you won't laugh?" begged Harry with a pleading look on his face. Cho raised an eyebrow as she took the not from him.

Harry looked nervously from Cho to the letter as she scanned it, silently pleading for understanding. When she put the note down his heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him, Harry could feel thankfulness emanating from her. He relaxed as he saw she wasn't laughing, until he saw the mischievous glint in her eye.

"So, the Great Harry Potter _fancies_ me huh?" said Cho with a grin. Harry turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Um…" was all Harry could choke out before his face got even redder.

"What's this? The seeker that out flew a Hungarian Horntail can't speak?" said Cho as she poked him in the ribs with an even bigger grin. She was thoroughly enjoying this moment. Harry tried to avert her gaze but when he looked away she turned to hug him and whispered in his ear, _"Thank you."_

The two seekers sat together merely enjoying the company of the other as the stars twinkled overhead. A light wind picked up as Cho slid her hand over Harry's. Emerald orbs twinkled in the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke up to the sounds of Ron, Dean, and Seamus getting dressed. He sat up and put his glasses on to see that his fellow Gryffindors were already dressed and ready to go. Neville was already down at the Great Hall. He rummaged around for his robes and smiled as he remembered Cedric's note from last night.

"_It's the least I can do for him."_

"_That and kill Voldemort."_ Said the voice in his head again.

"_Who the Hell are you?"_ Harry practically screamed.

"_Patience is a virtue, Harry."_ The voice said mocking Harry and Dumbledore at the same time. Then the voice softened and said _"I… Regret so much… But this isn't the time or place for that discussion, for now I think you should return to dealing with Miss Chang, and your seeker training."_

"_Now you sound like Hermione."_

"_Please don't insult me. I'm not THAT bad. Ciao."_

Harry walked into the Great Hall ruffling his hair as he looked around and smiled. It was good to be back. He looked around and saw Cho at the Ravenclaw table chatting to the other Ravenclaws that had been chosen for tryouts. She saw his gaze and motioned for him to come over. He grinned and quickly obliged.

As Harry neared the Ravenclaw table all of the Ravenclaw quidditch players got up and surrounded him. He slowly glanced around and saw that he was not in the best possible place.

"Uh… Cho you want to help me out here?" asked Harry secretly hoping she would get him out of whatever he was in.

Cho looked at him with that mischievous glint in her eyes again and Harry's heart plummeted, he knew what her response would be. "Sorry Harry, but we really need to do something about your hair." She said with an innocent smile.

Harry's eyes widened in fear. "Cho whatever I've done to-"croaked Harry before he broke off in a futile attempt to escape the Ravenclaw gauntlet. The two beaters had him by the arms and were dragging him off to the grand staircase. The rest of the team followed and Cho's smile had widened.

As he was dragged past Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George he yelled, "Help me!"

The four Gryffindors looked up trying to conceal their laughter when they all pulled out two galleons and said unanimously, "Sorry Harry, she bribed us."

"You guys are never getting a Knut out of my Will!" screamed Harry at the top of his lungs as the Ravenclaws dragged him kicking and screaming out of the Great Hall. Cho turned around and flashed a thumbs up to the four Gryffindors as they doubled over laughing.

A very irritable Harry returned to the Great Hall with painfully short hair. Cursing himself for being so gullible Harry ran a hand through his now painfully short hair. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to glare at an innocent looking Cho Chang.

"I suppose you must feel so proud." Grumbled Harry "The _Great_ Harry Potter gets done in by a pretty face and her lackeys."

"Is that your way of offering a compliment?" said Cho as she dissected his sentence with a raised eyebrow.

_Damn that Ravenclaw motto._

"I- what – "stammered Harry as he tried to utter a coherent sentence.  
"Ha! I win again that's two in a row!" said a grinning Cho, "but, thanks for being such a good sport."

"Hey, you should know by now 'demonstrates moral fiber and courage'." Mimicked Harry, "Anyways I gotta run, I'll see you later Cho."

Cho smiled to herself as Harry walked off drawing attention and stares. She whispered to herself,_ "Thanks Ced."_ Before she too, walked off.

"Harry, you need to vork on your turns. Cho, ven you pull out ov dives don't go straight up its harder that vay. Draco, … ve more avere of your surroundings, the snitch hovered in front ov you for three minutes before you saw it." Said Viktor at the end of their first months training.

As the four seekers were about to return to the castle Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were waiting for them at the entrance with the rest of the players.

"Well, unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control the tryout date has been moved up." Said Professor Dumbledore to groans.

"When are they?" asked Oliver Wood.

"Tomorrow." Replied Dumbledore to an even greater chorus of groans. "You have all worked hard, there is nothing to worry about, fly your best, no one can expect more. Oh yes I believe the motto is in order."

Harry grinned at Cho, if there was one thing he enjoyed it was the motto of Hogwarts quidditch players that he loved.

"Divide and conquer, we are the champions!" Shouted all of the players.

"So, you ready?" Said Harry in a low voice as he turned to ask Cho.

"Hell no. You saw Krum flying, if that's the level we got to play at I don't see any of us making it." Sighed Cho.

"Oh come on, don't beat yourself up, you're really talented. Plus, with this many people I'm sure **someone** will get in. Other than Cedric you're the only seeker who gave me a heart attack during the match." Said Harry, he immediately regretted it when he saw Cho's face at Cedric's name.

"Cho, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, it was going to happen sooner or later. Goodbye Harry." Whispered Cho as she entered the castle, as Harry looked on helplessly.

"_I'm an idiot."_

"_Finally! A breakthrough! I had given up hope!" _ Replied the voice sarcastically.

"_WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? And if you say 'patience' one more time…"_

"_Alright, Alright I get picture don't overreact. Simply say that I'm someone who wants Voldemort gone just as much as you do."_

"_And how on earth does that help me figure out who you are?"_

"_It's not suppose to. But before you start whining again remember this spell ' Aduro Incendia' it'll come in handy."_

"_Thanks?"_

"_Don't mention it, now I would get back to reality and make sure that girl you fancy isn't pissed off if your hair is any indication."_

Harry sat up in the dark and fumbled around for his watch and glasses, as he put on his glasses he looked down at his watch and cursed, it was five in the morning. To nervous and excited to go back to sleep Harry pulled on his Quidditch robes, he looked at his reflection in the window and grinned as he ran his hand through his now short hair. Surprisingly, he enjoyed the new look although he'd never admit it to Cho. He took his wand and secured it inside his robes, after that match with the dementors he wasn't going to take any chances, especially with Voldemort on the loose. As Harry picked up his Firebolt he also pocketed the note from Cedric. He felt stupid but he had the feeling that the note was an embodiment of Cedric, and he wanted him to be there at the tryouts.

As soon as he was out of the castle Harry mounted his broom and he was rising into the sky, he closed his eyes and just breathed as the first rays of the morning sun hit him. He always enjoyed this feeling, it felt like he was at the top of the world.

"You enjoy it too huh?" he heard Cho whisper behind him.

"I didn't think anyone would be up this early." Replied Harry as he shifted his weight on his broom so he could turn around and face her.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Just woke up."

"I always enjoyed watching the sun rise, it reminded me of what's really important in life." Said Cho.

Harry studied Cho's face for a moment and decided it was now or never. _"If I don't do this I'll regret it for the rest of my life."_

"Cho…"

"Yes Harry?"

"I know you already know it from Cedric's letter, but I want you to hear it from me. I really like you Cho, and I just want you to know if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Said Harry as he stared into her chocolate eyes.

"Hmm… not much for originality department." Said Cho with a raised eyebrow and grin, "I'm just kidding Harry! You should see the look on your face. But, I'm glad you said that, really. I really like you too, it's just…" said Cho as her voice faded away.

"Too fast."

The pair sat in silence for a couple minutes before Cho drifted next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down and smiled at her before interlacing their fingers. The two seekers stayed in their position for the next half hour before their stomachs forced them back into the castle.

As the two were walking into the Great Hall Harry ran up next to Cho and whispered into her ear, _"I really hope we both make it."_ She smiled at him and replied _"Love the hair."_ That was Cho for you.

After breakfast the entire school had turned out for the tryouts, Harry and the rest of the players trotted down to the field where they saw Professor Dumbledore, Viktor Krum, and an Asian wizard dressed in plain quidditch robes and a broom over his shoulder.

As they neared the three Harry make out the asian's features more clearly, he suddenly realized that this person had Cho's smile, eye color, and facial structure. Oh god he couldn't be…

"Brother!" squealed Cho as she jumped into his open arms. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Mei mei, I wish I did but I didn't have time." Whispered Cho's brother apologetically.

"May I introduce Mr. Damon Chang, Auror, and Seeker for the Tutshill Tornadoes." Said Dumbledore plainly, as Damon bowed with a grin.

Harry's jaw literally hit the ground; this guy was living his dream, playing professional quidditch AND being an auror? It didn't get much better than that in his mind.

"I would take the time to get to know all of you, but under the circumstances the tryouts need to start immediately." Said Damon with a wince.

"Mr. Chang, Mr. Krum, and myself will be the primary judges for the tryouts, our results will be verified by a second board to ensure that our decisions are fair." Said Dumbledore lightly. "Now I suggest that the Gryffindor team take off while the rest of you watch."

"Alright! These are the tryouts for the England Junior National Team! Not only are the tryouts being held here but as well as in four different locations across the U.K.! A total of 28 people will be admitted to the team so let's get started!" roared Damon into the magical microphone.

"The Gryffindor team will be playing the seven time champions of England the VRASTA VULTURES!"

Harry looked around and saw the color drain from the rest of his teams faces. The Vrasta Vultures were famous for consistently placing within the top three of the league standings every year. They had won the championship twice in the last three years.

"Someone knocked me out now." Said George as his eyes widened in fear.

"Oliver are you sure about this?" asked Alicia. Oliver just nodded not daring to take his eyes off the Vultures that were now erupting onto the field.

"Let's just give it our best and show them why were Gryffindors" stated Harry as he fired off to meet them.

"Agh! We were so close to!" yelled Fred as he slammed his fist into the wall. They had lost to the Vultures by 10 points. The final score was 360-350. Harry had caught ths snitch just as one of the Vulture's Chasers put one in behind Oliver.

"It's all my fault!" groaned Oliver Wood from the bench.

"Now its time for the next portion of the tryouts! The Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin players will be facing off with their professional counterpart from the Vultures! First up my little sister and Seeker Choooo Chang!" yelled Damon into the mic.

As Cho raced up to meet her professional counterpart Harry couldn't but help feel that something was horribly wrong. He looked around and with a jolt realized what was wrong.

"Dementors!" he shouted as he leapt on his broom and zoomed after Cho. "Tell Dumbledore!"

As he flew up to Cho he kept wishing the Firebolt could go faster. Cho still hadn't noticed that anything was wrong. With rising horror Harry saw no less than a hundred dementors bearing down towards the Ravenclaw seeker, and he wasn't going to make it in time. Screams came from below as people finally started to evacuate, Harry saw a silvery Phoenix take flight and knew Dumbledore must have started combating the dementors, but it wasn't enough Cho wasn't going to get away. Not enough time. He needed more-

"_USE THE SPELL I TOLD YOU TO REMEMBER!"_ erupted the voice from within is mind.

With no time to think of an alternative, Harry reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, he pointed it at the Dementors streaking towards Cho and roared "_Aduro Incendia!"_ A wave of white like blazed out from the tip of his wand and enveloped Cho, the Vulture seeker, and the dementors.

"_I'm so sleepy…"_

"_It's a side-effect of the spell. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier."_

"_How's Cho?"_

"_She'll be fine if shaken. Now sleep."_

Harry Potter obeyed as he fell backwards off his broom and hurtled towards the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry woke up to the now familiar sights and sounds of the Hospital Wing. He looked around and saw Cho asleep in a chair next to him, her head drooping. Damon Chang stood next to his little sister sizing up Harry, and Madam Pomfrey was talking heatedly with Professor Dumbledore, the real Mad-eye Moody, and Snape. As Harry sat up to get a better look, the group of Teachers and aurors noticed him.

"Tut. Tut. Mr. Potter are you trying to break the record of most time spent in the Hospital Wing?" asked Madam Pomfrey as she forced a potion into his hand. "Drink."

As Harry did as he was told he couldn't help but noticed the expressions on the faces of the people surrounding him, Apart from Cho and Madam Pomfrey the rest of them looked at him as if they were staring at a wild wolf waiting to pounce.

"Professor, what's going on?" asked Harry nervously.

"Don't start, Potter. If you are Potter." Growled Mad-eye as he raised his wand threateningly.

With all the commotion Cho woke up and saw Mad-eye pointing a wand at Harry, and acting on reflex drew her wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Everyone stared in amazement as the fifth year Ravelclaw disarmed Mad-eye Moody, the considered the best auror in the world. Moody looked down to his empty hand then up to Cho, a look of utter amazement written on his face.

"Miss Chang, have you ever thought of becoming an auror?" asked Moody.

"Oh! I'm so sorry… I didn't mean- Professor…" whispered Cho as her face flushed with embarrassment before she sat down with her face in her hands.

"Don't! That was a ruddy good Expelliarmus, I'm glad that imposter got one thing right, constant Vigilance!" growled Moody before he turned back to Harry."Now where were we, Potter?"

"You were asking me if really am myself, my patronus is a stag, Sirus Black is my godfather, he also did not kill Peter Pettigrew, Peter betrayed my parents, my phoenix feather is from Fawkes." Said Harry as he crossed his arms.

"Well?" growled Moody as he turned to Dumbledore, Dumbledore studied Harry for a second before nodding.

"Well now that we know you really are you, you got some damn explaining to do Potter. Where'd you learn that spell?" threatened Moody.

"Aduro Incendia?" asked Harry.

"That's the one."

"Harry we need to know where you learned that spell, it is of the utmost importance." Said Dumbledore gently.

Harry was torn, he really wanted to tell the group that a voice in his head was telling him these things. On the other hand he didn't want Cho to think he was utterly insane.

"_Tell Madam Pomfrey to leave, and Damon Chang if you want but the rest can stay."_

"_You sure?"_ asked Harry.

"_It's time I revealed myself."_

"Madam Pomfrey, can you please wait outside?" whispered Harry as sweat rolled down his neck. She glared at him for a moment before sighing as leaving.

"Cho, If you and your brother would prefer to leave…"

"Don't be silly Harry, I've sat here for almost three days I'm not going to leave when you just woke up." Said Cho as her brow furrowed.

"She's right Harry, it's the least you could do for her." Said a new voice in the room.

Dumbledore, Moody, and Snape whirled around and fired jets of light from their wands towards the intruder. To everyone's shock the man deflected all three bolts of light without much effort. Harry gawped as Dumbledore spell was knocked aside carelessly.

"Albus from what I have heard about you I was really expecting better." Said the man, he had short satin blond hair that seemed windblown, his face was very handsome, not marred by any facial disturbances. His golden eyes twinkled, he was wearing a gold dragonskin jacket. He pulled out a wand and twirled it around.

"Well now the _introductions_ for lack of a better word are over, I taught Harry that spell."

"Who are you?" spat Snape menacingly.

"Careful Snape, best not to talk to your betters that way." Said the man with a raised eyebrow. Snape raised his wand threateningly before Dumbledore motioned for him to stop.

"Severus, that was not a very reasonable greeting. However, you have entered Hogwarts uninvited, a feat I had not believed possible. Who are you?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out yet Albus, I mean you have so many statues of me around you school, it's quite an honor and an ego boost at the same time." Said the man with a small smile.

At his words Cho let out a small gasp. "I've seen your statue in the Ravenclaw common room! You- You're _Merlin._"

"Delighted to make your acquaintance Miss Chang." Said Merlin with a small bow.

"You are THE Merlin, Merlin the Great?" whispered Snape, his face ghost white.

"Sorry about that Severus, no hard feelings?" said Merlin as he offered his hand to Snape.

"It is truly an honor Merlin, but may I ask why you look so young." Asked Dumbledore.

Merlin's bright eyes dimed as he muttered, "I would prefer not to speak about it Albus, it's quite shameful really."

"If that is your wish than I will not force the matter."

Merlin turned around and slammed both of his fists into the stone wall before whispering "I was bested." Gasps came from everyone in the room, if someone could beat Merlin the Great in a duel there was truly no hope for anyone else against that person. "To make matters worse, I was beaten by Riddle. He's got my body Albus, he forced my soul out and his soul in, and he's not stopping until we're all dead."

Harry's heart sank, if Merlin wasn't a match for Voldemort how anyone hope to match him. Dumbledore didn't betray any expression but Harry could see the saw fear flicker in his eyes. Moody was focusing his gaze intently on his gnarled staff. Cho and Damon we're sitting there still stunned by the fact that Harry had been learning from Merlin.

"He found the tree where my body was encased as soon as he let me out, I knew who he was and we dueled. It took himself and quite a few of his 'Death Eaters' to overwhelm me. I still can't believe I let such an inexperienced fool beat me." Sighed Merlin as he turned around to face them."But I have spoken too long. Headmaster, I take my leave." Stated Merlin matter-of-factly before he faded into mist.

"What has just occurred must not leave the room, is that understood?" said Dumbledore. The others could only nod. "Harry I believe its time you know what Aduro Incendia is. It is ancient magic. That spell you preformed on the pitch today has not been seen since the time of Merlin the Great, the ability to cast it was thought to be long lost. It was part of a group of spells that have only been cast by a unique type of wizard, a type of wizard so unique only one was thought to have existed. This set of spells only works for that of a Redeemed." Said Dumbledore as he stared out of the window down onto Hogwart's Grounds.

"What is a Redeemed?" Harry asked

"They are Wizards who had fallen into darkness, but returned to the light." Whispered Cho, "As you can guess there aren't that many of them."

"So how was I able to cast the spell?" asked Harry.

"Think Harry, what did Voldemort do in order to return? What ingredient did he so desperately need to complete that dark ritual?"

Comprehension slowly dawned on Harry's face. "He used my blood."

"Exactly, by using you blood he solidified the connection between the two of you. Your soul exists in the dark and in the light at the same time. Few know but the Redeemed are the most powerful wizards that have ever walked this world. They draw their strength from both the light and dark the massive energy they wield has only been seen twice in recorded history. Merlin the Great and High King Arthur were the first two Redeemed, there have been no other Redeemed since the two of them. You are the first one in over one thousand and eight hundred years." Stated Dumbledore.

"Don't think about that right now. You have every reason to be happy." Said Damon Chang with a grin on his face. "Welcome to the England Junior National Team."

Harry stared blankly at Damon for a minute before his brain managed to comprehend what he just said. Cho hugged him after she saw he had overcome the sensory overload. _"Nice job, dummy."_ As he pulled Cho closer he mouthed to Damon _"What about Cho?"_ Damon replied without speaking as well _"Reserve Seeker."_ He grinned, things were finally starting to look up.

"Harry, unless you want to smother me can you let go?" said Cho from his chest.

"What? Oh right sorry." Said Harry as he released his arms and blushed.

"Careful Harry, my sister's like a Chinese cougar, only younger. Look she had Cedric completely whipped after a few weeks." Said Damon grinning.

"Gu Gu, How could you say that?" asked an aghast Cho her face was bright crimson as she launched herself at her brother.

"Just warning the boy so he realizes what he's getting into and- AGH!" yelled Damon as Cho jumped him. Harry wished he had the strength to look at what was happening but looking at the expressions of Dumbledore's face, he had a pretty good idea.

"We'll leave you then." Said Dumbledore as he motioned for Snape and Moody to leave.

Harry said into the ceiling "You know Cho, I think you brother is quite terrified of you now."

"Humph, Gu gu you deserve it."

"Mei mei, just giving the boy a chance to run away – OOF!" groaned Damon as Cho punched him again.

"Shut it Harry! He deserves this!" said Cho as she showed her brother no mercy.

"Harry- Ugh! A little OW! Help here?" begged Damon.

Harry sighed as he slid out of the Infirmary bed, just as his feet touched the ground Cho had tackled him to the ground. With a groan Harry realized he'd been set up. Cho was straddling him and pinning his arms over his head with one hand and another hand was twirling her wand dangerously. An innocent smile appeared on her face but the glint in her eyes betrayed her. Damon Chang stood over him apologetically.

"Sorry Harry, but you know what they say, family first. Hope she's not to rough on you." Said Damon with a wave and a grin before leaving the Infirmary. Harry just whimpered.

"Cho… please…" begged Harry, but from the look in her eyes he knew he wasn't going to get off easy.

"Now we fixed your hair last time… Hmm… I think you'd look good with a nose ring." Said Cho as she laughed at the look of pure terror on his face. "Relax Harry, I'm not that bad."

She let go of Harry's arms and laid her head on Harry's chest as she closed her eyes and hugged him. He felt the warmth of her body against him as he brushed some raven black hair off of her face as she smiled. He would never understand what she saw in him, but he was immensely glad all the same. The Infirmary door opened and Madam Pomfrey walked in, stared and turned around muttering, "I'll never understand teenagers…"

Harry and Cho took one look at each other before laughing, and as Harry held Cho tightly he couldn't think of anything that would make this moment better. He was going to play for England, he was dating the girl of his dreams. For once it seemed like he could forget about Voldemort, the Triwizard Tournament and simply be content.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry Potter sat up groaning. Something had woke him up, he was a very light sleeper but this was…_different_. He grabbed his glasses and whispered, "Lumos." As the tip of his wand lit he held it high and made a sweep of the room, he looked for anything out of the ordinary, his heart leapt right into his mouth as he spotted his grinning godfather leaning in the doorway.

"Sirius! What are you doing?" hissed Harry as he jumped out of his bed.

"Relax! I can turn into a dog remember? Anyways, just checking up on my favorite godson."

"Right like you have any other children." Muttered Harry sarcastically.

"Actually I've got six." Said Sirius matter-of-factly. "Oh come on, I _was_ the Marauder's ladies man." Said Sirius in a suave tone in response to Harry's eyebrow. Harry just shook his head in disbelief.

"So, now that the awkward introductions are over, Dumbledore tells me you have –_ahem-_ an interesting love life." Said Sirius, seeing Harry's reddening face his eyes twinkled as he went in for the kill. "Aha! I knew it, you got the Potter Charm. Your father couldn't keep the girls off of himself either. I swear if looks could kill Lily would've murdered some of them."

"Sirius… Stop it alright?" said Harry as his face was the color of Ron's hair.

"It's serious I take it?" asked Sirius as he folded his arms. Harry nodded, and Sirius took the hint not to press it further.

"I'm going back into hiding." Said Sirius after a moment of silence. Harry nodded bitterly, as a sour taste came up into his mouth, since Wormtail hadn't been caught yet Sirius was still a wanted criminal. "Before I leave, I came to give you this. Your dad would have wanted you to have it." Said Sirius as he pressed a small box into Harry's arms. "Don't open it yet, you'll know when the time is right." Sirius gave him one last smile before transforming into a dog and disappearing into the shadows.

Harry glanced down at his watch and swore. _Four thirty._ _"I really need to get more sleep." _Harry got dressed and pulled a Gryffindor cloak over his robes, he stuck his wand into the belt he had gotten at Diagon Alley. He pulled on a pair of gloves and threw a cloak over his head as he scribbled a note that he put on his pillow.

Harry walked out of the castle entrance and onto the grounds, and looked for a secluded spot. He decided that nobody would bother looking behind the Quidditch Pitch. As he stood in the shadows of the Quidditch Pitch he conjured up a couple practice dummies. They didn't look like they would be able to take much, but they would have to do, Hermione was better at conjuring than he was but if he told her what he was going to he knew she would never have agreed to it.

Harry took a dueling pose he had seen Dumbledore take when he fought off the dementors last year. As he was about to start casting Merlin spoke,_ "The Dragon's Peak? Not a bad position, good for offensive or defensive casting, but I'd suggest the Thor's Hammer. It's better to be familiar with some of the more basic stances before progressing, Albus is able to use the Dragon's Peak because of his experience, you should start off with Thor's Hammer first then move on to the Dragon's Peak."_ Merlin sent Harry a mental image of what Thor's Hammer should have looked like and Harry raised his wand arm over his head as if about to bring down a hammer, his left hand was raised in a guard like posture and his legs were bent at the knee.

"_Good, now swing you wand arm around and fire off a spell just as you bring your arm down near your nose." _As Harry obliged a red jet of light slammed into a dummy's chest and it exploded, as Harry's wand arm had fallen to about waist level he reached over to his left side and brought it back up in an upward spring from his left waist to over his head as another dummy burst into pieces.

"You're a natural." Said Merlin as he materialized out of thin air, grinning. "Now when you bring you arm down you might want to take a step back it helps with the…."

Harry walked into the Great Hall, tired but happy. Merlin the Great was…Great. He knew Harry's strengths and weaknesses as if they were his own. Although, Harry had an inkling this was due to the fact that Merlin existed inside his mind most of the time.

As Harry sat down alone at the end of the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore rose to give a speech. The hall quieted instantly. Harry noticed that Dumbledore's face was unusually grim.

"As all of you know, Cedric Diggory died not long ago. He was murdered by Lord Voldemort. Before the news is broken tomorrow I would to inform all of you, one third of the dementors of Azkaban have defected and joined Lord Voldemort." A massive groan swept through the hall. "Do to these unfortunate circumstances we regret to inform you that you will not be returning to London by way of train. Instead we will be using the Floo Network to send you directly back to your homes. The members of the England Junior National Team and Reserve Team will of course be staying at Hogwarts over the summer for training and competition, the Finals of the Junior World Cup will be held at either Hogwarts or London to be determined by the Security Council. That is all."

Harry quickly looked over at the Ravenclaw Table and saw Cho was motioning for him to meet her at the Grounds. Harry stared at her apprehensively, she had; after all, gotten him twice now. She rolled her eyes and gave him a warm smile. _"Damn, she knows I can't resist it when she smiles like that."_ Harry melted and nodded. She gave him another smile, he sighed and his eyes wandered into the distance. He didn't even notice when Ron and Hermione sat down next to him and started engaging him in conversation.

"Harry? Harry! Are you listening to me?" said Ron.

"Wha? Sorry." Said Harry as he left his reverie. He looked down at his watch. "Damn it! Cho is going to kill me! I'll see you guys later!"

"Did he just say Cho?" asked Ron in confusion. "Cho Chang?"

"I think so." Said Hermione. "I wonder what's going on."

"Beats me." Shrugged Ron as he attacked his food viciously.

Harry walked down to the Grounds looking around for Cho. He looked around and saw nobody, sighing he sat down. _"Great. Bloody brilliant. Now I'm going to have to apologize to Cho."_ Where was she anyways? He could've sworn that this was where they met the last time.

"_Harry…"_

"_What is it Merlin?" _snapped Harry, he wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"Imobulus!" shouted a suspiciously familiar and mischievous voice from behind him.

Shit.

"_I tried to warn you. Have fun now."_ Laughed Merlin.

Harry stared in horror as a grinning Cho Change appeared in front of him. She smiled as she took his wand from his belt. She poked him hard enough that he fell backwards. Still Immobilized. The glare in Harry's eyes along with that fact that he was still immobile was too much for Cho, she burst out laughing. After she had caught her breath she pointed her shaking wand at Harry and said with a shaking voice, "Autonomus." Harry sighed as the use of his body returned to him.

"I thought you said you weren't going to get me this time?" asked Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm? I just smiled at you." Said an innocent looking Cho.

"Whatever, what did you want anyways?" said Harry as he brushed off the slight to his pride.

"Well… I was thinking we could get to know each other a little better." Said Cho in a seductive tone, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh? And what did you have in mind?" asked Harry.

She climbed onto top of him and bent down to kiss him. However just as Cho was about to kiss Harry she suddenly pulled back, a worried scribbled all over her face.

"What's wrong Cho?" asked Harry.

"Nothing… It's just… This was how Ced and I had our first kiss…" whispered Cho as tears formed in her eyes. "Oh, god I'm being such a prat aren't I?"

"No!" said Harry forcefully. "Cho, you aren't a prat, you just need some time, I understand."

"Thank you Harry." Whispered Cho as she hugged him and laid her head down on his chest. He pulled her close to him as he lost himself in her chocolate eyes. "This is one of the things I like about you Harry. You're the kindest person I know."

"Harry, Cho I don't vant to interrupt vut we have our first game this Saturday." Said Krum as he looked down at them amusedly. The pair reluctantly broke apart as they went to get changed and grab their brooms.

Quidditch had never been so unappealing.

Harry's muffled groan was enough to make Cho laugh, He was lying face first in the ground, after a grueling Quidditch practice. Krum had made them do endurance exercises for five hours straight and immediately after had forced them to do complicated acrobatics in the air. Cho and Harry agreed on one point; Viktor Krum was a complete and utter sadist.

"He's a bloody slave driver! A sadist!" moaned Harry as Cho gave him a back rub. She grinned. It was amusing to see the Tri-Wizard Champion groaning on the ground.

"You know it will be worth it right? After we win the Cup." Said Cho hoping to cheer him up. He looked up at her and grinned.

"Yeah, I know it. At least I got to spend some time with you." Said Harry. Cho's cheeks flushed with color.

"You really are a romantic aren't you, Potter?" said Cho as she giggled.

"Um… Yes?" Harry had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. At his words; or rather, lack thereof Cho just giggled harder.

"Alright, your turn Potter." Said Cho as she lay down on the ground. Harry got up and gently eased her long raven tresses to the side; he then proceeded to massage her muscles in circles, slowly releasing the knots of tension in them.

"You're really good at this Harry." Sighed Cho as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the relaxing feel spreading from her back. She couldn't believe how good he was at this. The soft, constant kneading of his hands soothed the aches and she felt herself getting drowsy.

"I could give you one every day if you'd like." Said Harry. Cho seemed happy, and when Cho was happy he felt happy.

"I'd like that very much Harry."

Harry began absentmindedly massaging Cho's back as his gaze wandered. As he was looking at the ripples in the lake, a sudden mental image exploded into his mind, he saw the images of a phoenix and a raven intertwined and in flight. White hot agony tore into him from his scar blinding him before he collapsed to the ground next to Cho.

Harry opened his eyes and stared into the face of a very worried Cho Chang. "Cho? What happened?" he groaned softly.

"Harry! Are you alright? You just fell to the ground." Said Cho with a worried tone.

"It was my scar. I saw… a phoenix and… a raven?" mumbled Harry as he rubbed his scar his eyes still half closed as he tried to focus.

"Here, let me." said Cho softly as she gently pulled his hands away from his head before slowly pressing to fingers to each of his temples and rubbing them in a circular motion. Harry sighed as the rhythmic flow eased his pain. "Does… does this happen often?" asked Cho with concern.

"Sometimes. Usually it only happens when Voldemort's around or something like that. It's… annoying but what can you do?" Harry shrugged as he pulled Cho's hands down.

"Thanks for that Cho. Now let me repay you…" said Harry with a smile as he playfully talked Cho to the ground, straddling her waist. Cho shrieked in surprise as she was suddenly looking up into twin pools of warm emerald. Their lips crashed against each other first softly then with increasing need as all thoughts except for the other flitted out of their minds. They did not get up for some time.


	6. Chapter 6

"Harry, do you still have Cedric's letter?" asked Cho after they broke apart. It had seemed like hours although it had probably only been a few minutes.

"Yeah why?" said Harry as he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. She scanned it quickly and then pointed the line out about The Phoenix's Raven.

"Harry you think this is what Cedric was talking about?"

"I'm not sure Cedric meant me getting a vision of a phoenix and a raven. But for now can we just keep this a secret? Between the two of us?"

"If you say so." Said Cho as she flung her arms around his neck from behind and hugged him. "We should probably get your shirt back on, people might get the wrong idea."

"I think I rather like the idea of giving them the wrong idea." Said Harry with a grin. "OW!" yelled Harry as Cho smacked the back of his head.

"Ugh boys! I don't know what I saw in you." said Cho in mock disgust.

"Can you blame me? You're beautiful." Said Harry as he kissed her hard on the lips. Cho moaned into the kiss as she dug her fingers into his hair.

They fell backwards onto the grass and he pulled Cho on top of him without breaking their kiss. He closed his eyes as their kiss grew more passionate. He pulled her close to him. He breathed in the smell of her face; he took in the feeling of her lips against his; he felt the warmth of her body against his. He desperately tried to memorize every detail, he had feeling it would be useful if dementors ever became a problem again.

Cho smiled as they kissed, she felt good better than she had in a long, long time. Her smile grew wider as Harry dragged her back towards the ground with him. She loved the way he made her feel safe, happy, and… loved? Cho wasn't sure about the last one but that would have to be figured out later, she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued kissing the only person that mattered at this point. Harry.

After a fierce snog Cho reluctantly pulled away to gulp in some air. Regretfully she broke their kiss. Harry looked up at her, his emerald eyes burning. Cho stared into the two emerald orbs before resuming their passionate make out session. Cho lost herself in Harry's eyes she knew they would probably get in trouble later, but she didn't care. _Harry _mattered. What _he _thought mattered. She ran her fingers through his messy dark hair, smiled, closed her eyes, and pulled him closer to her.

A tall, beautiful brunette had walked out of the castle, she looked around for any signs of a dark haired witch. She saw Cho snogging Harry Potter passionately and just smiled to herself. Shaking her head she walked over to them. She chucked to herself as she stood over the pair, waiting for one of them to notice.

Cho Chang froze as she saw someone's shadow looming over them. She slowly turned her head to see her best friend Jessika smirking as she stood over them. Cho knew she was going to catch hell from her later. Jessika raised an eyebrow. Cho flushed deep scarlet as Jessika's grin widened to rival that of a Cheshire cat's.

"Don't you two think you should be getting a room?" asked Jessika.

Harry and Cho both blushed even more as they sat up quickly. They looked at each other meekly before breaking down into laughter. Jessika just shook her head quietly. Harry helped Cho back to her feet as she smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her robes.

"Cho, do you want to introduce me?" asked Harry politely.

"Oh! Right… Harry this is Jessika, my best friend since first year. Jessika, Harry." Said Cho, still pink in the face.

"Delighted." Said Harry as he made a gentlemanly bow.

"So glad to make your acquaintance." Said Jessika as she curtsied. Cho just giggled at the sight.

"Harry, you should probably put your shirt back on." Said Cho handing him the shirt. Harry slid the shirt back on, but not before Jessika had already had a good look at his torso.

"Cho, Harry not that snogging in public is a bad thing, but have either of you given a thought to what would have happened if it was someone else that had found you?" asked Jessika as she cocked her head. Both Harry and Cho blushed bright red again at the thought. "Still don't want people to know yet?"

Harry just shrugged while Cho shook her head.

"It'd cause too much gossip and attention, honestly that's the last thing me and Harry need." Said Cho.

"Hey, if Cho isn't comfortable with it, then that's it." Said Harry simply.

"The perfect gentleman are we?" said Jessika with a smirk.

"Well, first I wouldn't do anything to hurt Cho." Said Harry as he slid his arms around her waist and hugged her. "Second, I've had enough attention to last a lifetime. Finally, If I did anything to hurt Cho she'd make my life hell."

Cho just smiled sweetly. "Whatever do you mean Harry?'

Harry just smiled, shook his head, and whispered in Cho's ear, "Want go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" Cho just smiled and nodded.

"We should better head back up to the castle, it's getting dark." Said Jessika, she walked on ahead determined not to look behind her to find out what the source of the giggling behind her.

As they reached the Entrance Hall Harry reluctantly turned to Cho and said, "I'll meet you here tomorrow? Around eight?"

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow Cho." Whispered Harry as he kissed her and then reluctantly broke apart and walked back towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"You really like him don't you?" asked Jessika.

"Yes." Sighed Cho dreamily.

"You always get the good ones." Sighed Jessika. "I saw his body, you always end up with the attractive ones!" giggled Jessika.

"He's amazing." Said Cho in the same dreamlike stare.

"Alright lovebird time to go back to the common room." Sighed Jessika as she grabbed Cho's arm and steered her in the right direction.

Back in the Gryffindor Common Room Harry was sitting on the ground, in a trance like state next to Ron and Hermione. The two were finding it extremely hard to keep him in a conversation for more than a minute. He had attempted to play some chess against Ron with very poor results.

"Harry what's going on?" asked Hermione impatiently. "You haven't spent any real time with us the past few days, you keep disappearing every morning and reappearing in the common room at night looking like an idiot."

"Huh? Wha? Sorry I wasn't listening." Said Harry as he seemed to wake up.

"This is exactly what I mean Harry!" grumbled Hermione as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Hey leave the kid alone Hermione." Said George as he sat down next to Harry.

"Yeah, after I'm sure he has _someone_ on his mind." Said Fred as he sat down on the opposite side of Harry. His eyes narrowed.

"_They couldn't have…"_

"So, Harry busy day trying to keep your hands to yourself?" asked George with a huge grin.

"_Oh gods… They know. Maybe- maybe they won't tell."_

"We think it's time Ron and Hermione found out, don't we George." Said Fred with an even wider grin.

"If the two of you tell…" whispered Harry as he pulled out his wand.

"Fred I think he needs to be restrained." Said George.

"Dear brother, I think you might be right."

"Shall we?"

"After you."

The twins pile drove Harry at the exact same time, his wand flew out of his hand as George grabbed it. After several minutes of intense old fashioned scraping Fred had successfully put Harry in an arm lock.

"George old pal I do believe he's successfully restrained."

"Why Fred my good man I do believe you right." Said George with a chuckle.

"George, no -!" roared Harry, his face red. George just laughed.

George just motioned for Ron and Hermione to come over and started whispering in their ears. Harry roared in fury and redoubled his efforts to break out of Fred's arm lock. With a yell of warning, Fred lost control of Harry as he dived into George's side knocking the two of them a clean ten feet.

Harry turned around and instantly all color drained from his face. He hadn't gotten to George fast enough. They knew. Harry looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and groaned. Shit. Cho was going to bloody murder him.

"Harry why didn't you just tell us?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah mate, you know we'd never make fun of you for that." Said Ron.

"What are you talking about?" stated Harry flatly.

"What're _you_ talking about, George told us Harry. After all you've been through it's perfectly normal to have nightmares." Said Hermione.

"I- you- but- I thought…" croaked Harry before he lost all use of his voice. Fred and George just high-fived.

"Word for the wise Harry, the best pranksters always make sure they aren't found out until it's too late." Said Fred. Harry just groaned. The joke was on him. After giving him back his wand Fred and George left the common room quietly laughing.

Harry just hung his head groaning. He played right into their hands. He should've guessed from their experience Fred and George would've pulled a fast one. He felt like a complete and utter moron, but then his thoughts turned to Cho and their kiss. He sighed happily before announcing that he was going to bed.

Back in the Ravenclaw common room Cho was in a similar predicament, except it didn't involve tackling, or red headed twins. No, it involved someone much worse, her friend Jessika Roselyndale.

"Jessika give it back!" whined Cho as she chased her friend around the Girl's Dormitories. Jessika was running around laughing with Cho's wand.

"Not until you tell!" said Jessika in a singsong voice.

"Never!" shrieked Cho as she ran faster.

"Then I s'pose your going to have to learn how to do magic without a wand real so-" said Jessika before she tripped on a book lying around and fell to the ground. She turned around to see a furious Cho Chang glaring down at her. Jessika winced, knowing she was trapped.

"Jessika…" whispered Cho in a tone that bordered on bloody murder.

"Yes?" asked Jessika.

"My wand. Now." Stated Cho as her eyes narrowed. Jessika knew better than to try and stop Cho when she was like this, she sighed and handed the wand back to its rightful owner.

"Come on. Just a tiny detail?" begged Jessika.

"Fine…" said Cho knowing she would regret it latter. Jessika just squealed in delight.

"What'd you want to know?" asked Cho in a bored voice as she plopped back down onto her bed.

"So… how is he?" asked Jessika with a giggle.

"You're going to have to be a lot more specific." Said Cho with a raised brow.

"Oh come off it, you know what I mean. How good is he in bed?" asked Jessika with a twinkle in her eye. Cho went beet red.

"Jessika! You know I'm not like that." Yelled Cho as she buried her face into her pillow. Jessika sighed, she should have known better. Of _course_, Cho wouldn't have done anything yet. She was Perfect Cho Chang after all.

"Cho?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask another question?"

"No."

Jessika sighed, it was going to be awhile before she got any information about Harry's talent as a boyfriend of Cho. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Still, if she couldn't get anything out of Cho about Harry, maybe, just maybe Cho's brother could. Yes… She'd have to ask him about it some time.

"Don't even think about asking my brother Jessika." Came Cho's muffled voice from her pillow.

"I swear you're a freaking legilimens now?" sighed Jessika. _"There goes that idea."_

"Jessika, I've been friends with you for four years. I know how you think."

"It was worth a try."

"If you say so. Now I'm going to bed."


	7. Chapter 7

Harry was fuming; he'd gone through everything he owned. _Twice._ And he still couldn't find anything suitable to wear. He sighed; he knew Cho would probably have something expensive and fashionable to wear today considering the amount of money her family owned; but Cho could wear anything and make it look good, he however, was a completely different story.

"_I would suggest that blue v-collar shirt, then go with the dragonskin vest, and those black jeans you have sticking out of your trunk."_ Said Merlin simply.

Harry took Merlin's suggestion and tried on the clothes he had pointed out. To his surprise, he looked extremely presentable. He admired Merlin's clothing choice before slipping his wand into its holster on his waist. With Voldemort returned, it wasn't safe or wise to wander without a weapon.

"_How the hell are you so good with clothes? I thought that was a girl thing?"_ asked Harry.

"_Harry. Please. I would've thought you better than that. Gendered notions of masculinity and femininity are unfit for an intellectual. Wisdom, without prejudice. Remember it."_ Chastised Merlin as Harry felt a twinge of guilt. _"Nevertheless, I can understand why you would have those preconceived notions. Take any and all opportunities to learn Harry. Bravery and courage without the wisdom to apply them are simply suicide."_

Harry just smiled and shook his head and smiled. He wouldn't deny it, Merlin was an excellent person to have around, not just for the magic, but the advice as well. His lessons had been going rather well but he knew he had a long way to go before he would be able to fight Voldemort on equal footing. After many private conversations with Merlin, it became clear that Merlin was grooming him to kill the Dark Lord. What concerned him wasn't that he would commit murder, but rather that he relished the idea.

Harry walked down into the Entrance Hall, scanning the Hall for any sign of Cho. As he was looking around, he knew that he was attracting the attention of more than one giggling girl. He just smiled quietly.

"Harry! Over here." Said a voice from the opposite side of the Hall. Harry looked up to see Cho Chang wriggling her fingers in a wave at him. As he saw what she was wearing his knees quiet literally failed him, he stumbled before he caught himself and walked over to her. Cho was wearing a sky blue sports jacket along with a shirt that hugged her body. She was wearing a pair of navy blue jeans that seemed to hug her like a second skin. Harry just gaped at her with his mouth open. Cho giggled and said, "You don't look two bad yourself."

The pair set off for Hogsmeade talking animatedly. Harry couldn't help but admire the way her hair caught the light. He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, she giggled as he did. Harry was grinning madly by the time the two of them had reached Hogsmeade. Cho shook her head and stifled a laugh as Harry seemed to be bouncing along.

"Where d'you want to go first?" asked Harry. He should've felt nervous but yesterday had confirmed that what he felt for Cho was most assuredly mutual. He felt a smug sense of pride that he hand manage to 'land' the most attractive girl at Hogwarts but knew better than to let it go to his head.

"Hmm… How about going to Zonko's? I need a couple of _items_." Said Cho sweetly.

"I'm probably going to regret this later, but alright." Said Harry they walked off in the direction Zonko's. Without either of them noticing a cloaked figured followed them from a distance.

Inside Zonko's Harry and Cho were loading up on items. Cho had gotten _Rivelo's Semi-permanent Hair Dye_, _Martin's Exploding Gobstones_, a deck of cards that seemed normal until they proceeded to create realistic illusions of the illustrations on the cards, and a fake wand that; if used, would produce bubbles.

As they left Zonko's the pair decided that a trip to Honeyduke's was definitely in order. They both had a sweet tooth for chocolate. Inside, the two pulled the weirdest sweets off of the wall, daring the other to eat them until Harry finally admitted defeat as he wearily eyed an acid pop. Half an hour later the two emerged from the depths of shop, Harry staggering under the combined weight of both his and Cho's shopping. He grinned to himself, _"She's got me wrapped around her finger. Still, I wouldn't have it any other way."_

"Thanks Harry." Said Cho as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I was thinking, maybe a trip up to the Shrieking Shack? Then we could grab a couple butterbeers at The Three Broomsticks." Said Harry, privately hoping to have a snog session up at the Shack in privacy. Cho saw right through him.

"Harry, you just want us to go so you can snog." Said Cho rolling her eyes. "But I'm not complaining." Whispered Cho with a laugh as she ran, forcing Harry to power walk to keep up.

As they reached the top of the hill that contained the Shrieking Shack, Harry had the distinct feeling that something was out of place. He couldn't place his fingers on it, but there was something very wrong.

"_Harry…"_

"_I know. I feel it too."_

"Cho, can you come help me with these bags?" said Harry trying to stay calm. As Cho was about to grab on the bags he whispered into her ear. _"Something's wrong, I need you to act normal and if something happens stay on the ground."_

As Harry pretended to put their shopping on the ground he reached into his vest and gripped his wand. Whipping around with his wand in his hand Harry shouted, "Verus Os!" Instantly ten hooded figures in black appeared, they were all wearing silver masks to hide their faces. Harry swallowed hard. Death Eaters.

"_Stay calm, take Thor's Hammer, you are better than them, the hard part will be protecting Cho." _

Harry settled down into Thor's Hammer with his wand arm raised high as the Death Eaters drew their wands in a single motion. Time seemed to slow down as Harry swung his arm down at the Death Eater In front of, casting a stunner, unsurprising the figure already had a shield charm up, without think Harry spun around and fired off another stunner, acting on reflex alone he raised a shield charm just in time to block half a dozen spells. He reacted by firing off a couple spells of his own. The firefight had begun.

Lights and sounds were exploding everywhere, Harry was doing very well and holding his ground as best he could. Realizing that the Death Eater's were quickly adapting to Thor's Hammer, he sunk into the Lion's Crouch and quickly disarmed and stunned two Death Eaters. It was now eight to one. Even though Harry was doing extremely well Merlin knew that Harry's concentration was rapidly diminishing. Harry had little to no experience as a dueler and he was only in his fourth year, realizing the situation was quickly going sour Merlin shouted, "_Use Dragon's Peak! You're going to be overwhelmed soon if you don't!"_

"Cho get out of here!_" _roared Harry, as he rose into the Dragon's Peak stance. He had remembered what Merlin had told him about the Dragon's Peak.

"_Merlin, I was wondering why Professor Dumbledore used the Dragon's Peak against the Dementors. Wouldn't any other stance have been fine? After all Dementors can't use magic."_

"_No, Dragon's Peak was this best stance he could have chosen, The Dragon's Peak was originally designed in order for a more skilled wizard to defeat a multitude of less skilled foes. When utilizing the Dragon's Peak you must remember to stay calm. The Dragon's Peak stance is akin to a storm, you will be smiting your foes furiously but above all else, you the center of the storm must remain calm. If the storm loses its center, it disappears."_

Harry grimly thanked Merlin for that piece of information as he quickly brought down most of his remaining foes. Then Harry realized that he was _enjoying _this. Here he was, at the Shrieking Shack, fighting for his life, with the girl he cared about most right behind him and he was _laughing_.

"Is that all you have? Pathetic! Voldemort would be ashamed!" shouted Harry as he spun around arcing his wand before slamming the man with a _confringo_ spell. The remaining Death Eaters, incensed at Harry's taunting started concentrating their attacks on cornering him.

Harry was… disappointed that even being outnumbered 10 to 1, this was all they could come up with. Concentrate on taking away his mobility before attempting to stun or kill him. A first year could've come up with this plan. "Sive Mucro!" shouted Harry as he poured much of his energy and willpower into the spell. The Death Eaters stopped, their eyes widening in fear as Harry conjured hundreds if not thousands of swords of all different shapes and sizes. With a flick of his wrist the swords turned in unison forming a sphere with the Death Eaters in the center. They were trapped.

"_I don't remember teaching you this spell Harry."_ Said Merlin privately impressed that he could conjure so many swords. A talented mage could conjure a few hundred but Harry's casting had far exceeded that number. He may not have been that powerful yet but Merlin knew that Harry's latent talent was starting to emerge.

Cho gasped as she saw Harry conjure an uncountable number of swords before trapping the Death Eaters inside a sphere with them. While he had told her of his fight with Voldemort and she had heard of his exploits in the years since he had arrived at Hogwarts, it was another thing entirely to see him in action. Perhaps the stories weren't exaggeration after all…

"It's over. Throw me your wands or die. Your choice." Said Harry without emotion a cruel smirk slowly working its way onto his face.

"For the Dark Lord!" shouted one of the Death Eaters as a flash of green light blasted through one of the swords narrowly missing Cho by inches. Cho yelped and ducked low carefully surveying the sphere for any more telling flashes of green. Harry's eyes hardened as he spoke, "Very well. Blood and death."

"_Harry – "_started Merlin but before he could speak another word, Harry raised his free hand and slowly closed it into a fist. As he did the swords that made up the sphere slowly shrunk inwards as the Death Eaters inside screamed in terror, realizing that they were about to be sliced into ribbons.

"Wait! Wait please! Potter I surrender!" shouted one of the Death Eaters in a panic as he tossed his wand through the sphere towards Harry. Several of the Death Eaters followed suit as wands were tossed to the ground at Harry's feet.

A storm of emotions raged within Harry as he debated their fates. On one hand they had almost killed Cho, completely unacceptable. They should die for their insolence. On the other hand, they had surrendered and common rules of war indicated that they should be spared. With cold fury in his eyes Harry slowly opened his hands, the sphere of blades stopped inches from the Death Eaters.

"Why should I spare you? You refused my offer of surrender. You almost killed an innocent bystander. Your lives are forfeit. I would be well within my rights to execute the lot of you right here, right now." Said Harry imperiously, a steely edge to his voice.

"Don't Harry. You're better than that. Don't stoop to their level." Said Cho in a soft voice as she gently pulled at his free hand, trying to save the men kneeling in submission.

"Cho… They would have killed us given the chance. They would have killed _you_." Said Harry although Cho could tell his eyes were softening.

"But they didn't. If you kill them that's the end. There's no chance for redemption. Perhaps they can be saved. Who knows what drove each of them to the Dark Arts? The blame doesn't lie just with them." Cautioned Cho as she locked eyes with Harry. After a heavy pause Harry nodded.

"If Cho had not been here, all of you would have been dead. You have your lives because of someone you tried to murder. Reflect on that." Said Harry as the swords floated backwards, enlarging the circle but still near enough in case one of them was foolish enough to try anything.

Cho let out a sigh she didn't realize she had been holding in. Harry had transformed so suddenly. One moment he had been lighthearted even in the heat of battle and in the next he was considering the execution of then men. While she understood his reasons, it unnerved her that he could so easily consider killing them. Harry turned to face her, smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Cho." Apologized Harry. He turned and shot red sparks into the air, a sign for the teachers to come and investigate. He sat down with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. As the adrenaline died down he just felt so _tired_. It disillusioned him even more when he realized that this would become the norm, at least until Voldemort was no more.

"Harry?" asked Cho apprehensively as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… could you teach me how to duel like that?"

"Of course, Cho. I'd love to. In fact we could get a whole bunch of people together, training so that we'd be able to fight when we got out of school. We'd be completely prepared for Voldemort!" said Harry as he had a golden vision of hundreds of Hogwarts students overrunning Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Harry was jerked back to reality when he saw Cho's face fall. "Cho? What's wrong?"

"Nothing… It's just… I wanted this to be just between the two of us, y'know?" said Cho in a small voice as she averted his gaze.

"Cho, if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. I'll teach you everything I know. It'll just be the two of us alright? I promise." Said Harry firmly as he moved to look directly into Cho's chocolate eyes.

"Thanks." Whispered Cho as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Come on, we better tie up these guys and wait for Dumbledore." Said Harry as he motioned at the Death Eaters. After they made sure the Death Eaters were securely bound and gagged Harry had made sure to pick up all of their wands, he didn't need any of them to attempt an escape.

"Listen Cho… I'm sorry about this. I ruined your day, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Said Harry in a pained voice as he stared into Cho's brilliant eyes, he felt horrible for ruining an otherwise good trip to Hogsmeade.

"Harry don't say that, I really lo- I really like you, being in mortal danger more than most people comes with the package." Said Cho as she gave him a kiss. "Besides, we're alright. We have to hold onto the positives in life."

"You sure?" Cho nodded.

"Alright, let's wait for the teachers. They can't be that far off. Cho… I'll make this up to you later."

"I'll hold you to that promise." Said Cho as her eyes twinkled.

Barely ten minutes had passed with Harry and Cho making small talk as the Death Eaters nervously eyed the sphere of swords slowly circling them before Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Moody appeared, wands at the ready.

"We had reports of dueling at the Shrieking Shack. Was that you Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yeah. These Death Eaters attacked me and Cho, it was self-defense." Said Harry as he motioned to the bound Death Eaters.

"Potter, are you expecting us to believe the two of you took out ten Death Eaters?" asked Professor McGonagall in surprise.

"Not the two of us, just Harry." Said a beaming Cho with a touch of pride colouring her voice.

"You took out ten Death Eaters by yourself?" growled Moody his eyes widening.

"I didn't have much choice… It was us or them, and there isn't a chance in hell I was going to let them touch Cho." Said Harry with a tired but determined tone.

"Harry was amazing. I recognized some conjuration magic and even Dragon's Peak." Explained Cho to the professors.

"You used Dragon's Peak?" murmured Snape with surprise and even a tint of respect.

"So?"

"Potter that is a style of dueling that even expert duelists have trouble using, the few that are able to utilize it proficiently are considered masters at the art of dueling." Said Professor McGonagall.

"Well… It's not like I figured it out on my own… I had help from… _Him_ Professor Dumbledore." Said Harry. Understanding flooded Snape, Moody, and Dumbledore. They realized that Harry must have been receiving dueling lessons from Merlin.

"Who is this person Potter?" questioned McGonagall.

"I am sorry Minerva, but I have forbidden Harry and Cho from speaking about him. I shall explain it to you back in my office. Mad-Eye, Severus, could you please dispose of the Death Eaters and inform the Ministry of the attack?" said Dumbledore as he motioned for McGonagall to follow him. Harry relinquished control of the Death Eaters to Moody and Snape, soon Cho and Harry were alone again.

"Well Cho, I said I would make it up to you. I'm a man of my word. What do you want me to do?" asked Harry as he put his wand back inside his dragonskin vest.

"Well for starters, how about you give me a piggyback ride to my classes for the next week?" asked Cho with a glint Harry knew all too well in her eyes.

"Alright alright! I figured I'd regret it but I'm a man of my word." Said Harry with a sigh and a small smile.

"I was kidding Harry! But let's see what we can do to make this day better." Said Cho with a smile as she dragged Harry into some very thick bushes. Harry smirked as he let Cho take the lead.


	8. Chapter 8

It was Saturday. Today was the big day, it was the first match of the Junior World Cup, and England would be playing America. Harry felt a mixture of sadness and joy. A tear rolled down his cheek at the thought that his parents were not here for this, that they would never see any of his accomplishments. He would never be able to tell them how much he loved them. Voldemort had torn all that away. He had taken away something that would never be given back. Voldemort had changed Harry's life in a way that had changed everything, and he would pay. Harry silently swore that Voldemort would regret the day he stepped into the Potter's Residence at Godric's Hollow. Even if it was the last thing he did he would make sure no one else would ever be hurt by Voldemort. He smiled as he remembered all the good things that have happened.

_He met Ron and Hermione._

_He had experienced the joy of being on a broomstick._

_He had met his father's best friends._

_He had saved his godfather._

_He had been saved from himself._

_He had fallen for Cho._

Harry brushed the tear off his face as he stood up. He gripped his Firebolt as he walked out of the dressing rooms. If his parents were out there; if they were watching, he promised to make them proud. Even just a few days ago it would have been a dream come true to play Quidditch professionally but the return of Voldemort meant casting all of those dreams aside. Only one thing truly mattered anymore. Voldemort had made that clear in the graveyard, they would face off in the future and only one would leave alive. As his face was hit by rays of brilliant sunlight, Harry smiled grimly to himself. Feeling the sun and wind before a match used to bring him a deep sense of calm and joy. Now, everything seemed colder, less real. The world just seemed to have… less in it. With a sigh he mounted his broom and kicked off.

"Today is the first day of the Junior World Cup! The Opening match is between England and America! Here come the English! Led by Captain and Keeper Oliver Wood! Following him are the chasers Angelina Johnson, Roger Davis, and Katie Bell! Followed by the beaters Fred and George Weasley! And here comes their secret weapon, the one, the only, the invincible Harry Potter!" roared Damon Chang into the magical microphone. Harry winced at Damon's praise. While it was customary to bluster before a match he wished they could have glossed over that part.

Harry felt himself shoot up into the sky, her relaxed as he breathed in the fresh air. While Quidditch wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it once was, he still took small pleasure in being able to ignore the looming threat of Voldemort, at least for a few hours. He circled around the pitch and saw that there were far more fans than usual. He could see that an entire press box had been set up, and there were floating stands for fans from all over the world to watch. Harry slowly drifted back towards the ground as the referee strode out to meet the two teams.

"Captains, shake hands." Said the tall muscular wizard. Wood shook hands with a tall and lithe seeker.

"I want a nice, clean game." Said the referee as he released the Quaffle and the Bludgers. Harry shot up into the air like a rocket as he glanced around for any signs of the tiny golden ball, the American seeker was flying around the field dividing it into sectors that he quickly scanned.

Suddenly Harry spotted the Snitch, it was fluttering around the American's center goalpost, he quickly turned around dove towards Oliver Wood, and silently praying the American seeker would take the bait. He did.

"AND POTTER'S SEEN THE SNITCH! AMERICAN SEEKER ROY MARTIN'S IS CATCHING UP, THIS IS GOING TO BE CLOSE!" shouted Damon as he danced around the commentator's booth, ecstatic.

Harry reached his arm out as he closed in on the goalpost. As he was inches away, he pulled out of the dive with all his might and blasted off towards the other end of the pitch. Martin was just a second too slow on the uptake and ended up slamming straight into the goalpost and fell to the ground unconscious.

It was a one-seeker game now and Harry knew it. Harry rocketed forward like a bullet his mind exploded with pain. Harry barely managed to stay in control of his Firebolt as he plummeted towards the ground. He slammed into the ground and dropped his Firebolt, both of his hands clutching his head.

"It seems a timeout has been called by England to see what happened to their seeker." Said Damon, clearly disappointed that Harry hadn't caught the snitch.

Harry was barely conscious. He couldn't move. Every part of his body was on fire. He couldn't believe the amount of pain he was in. He felt tears roll out of his eyes, he was sure they were blood. He stared into his right hand as it was engulfed in darkness. His left arm seemed to glow with a white light. He let out a hoarse scream as his head threatened to split open from the pain. He could hear a whisper telling him all the power he would have if he just gave in to it. Another voice in his head was telling him that if he gave in, he would lose everything. Harry lay there as his body started to go into shock. The first person he saw was Dumbledore.

"Help… me." Croaked Harry. Dumbledore nodded as he started casting a spell, which had a musical quality to it. Dumbledore was _singing._ His voice was a rich alto bass. Harry felt the pain ebbing away. The darkness on his right arm and the glow on his left faded away. Harry brushed away the blood on his face as he gripped his Firebolt. This wouldn't stop him. Not here. Not now. Everyone was watching, and he wasn't going to look like a bloody coward.

Harry lept onto his Firebolt and flew into the sky. He knew that Dumbledore had only delayed the pain; kept it at bay for a short period of time, it was going to come back, and Harry had no intention of leaving the pitch without the snitch.

"And Potter's back! No word on what happened but he's got guts, I'll give him that." Said Damon as he glanced at Harry with a worried look.

Harry stared around looking for the snitch, the score was tied at 240-240, Roy Martin still hadn't recovered and America's reserve seeker had been injured in practice the previous day. Harry saw the snitch zooming around near the ground right under him. He dove downwards he hand outstretched. He knew that if he was off by a millisecond he would die.

"_Come on. Come on."_ Said Harry as he egged on his broomstick.

"_So, the Great Harry Potter __fancies__ me huh?" said Cho with a grin. Harry turned a deep shade of crimson._

"_Um…" was all Harry could choke out before his face got even redder._

"_What's this? The seeker that out flew a Hungarian Horntail can't speak?" said Cho as she poked him in the ribs with an even bigger grin. She was thoroughly enjoying this moment. Harry tried to avert her gaze but when he looked away she turned to hug him and whispered in his ear, __"Thank you."_

_The two seekers sat together merely enjoying the company of the other as the stars twinkled overhead. A light wind picked up as Cho slid her hand over Harry's. Emerald orbs twinkled in the night._

Harry gasped as the memory overwhelmed his concentration, he desperately returned his attention to the Quidditch pitch, he was only 30 feet from to snitch. Every moment would be crucial now, a missed air shift or adjustment would mean slamming into the ground at over a hundred miles an hour.

"_I suppose you must feel so proud." Grumbled Harry "The __Great__ Harry Potter gets done in by a pretty face and her lackeys."_

"_Is that your way of offering a compliment?" said Cho as she dissected his sentence with a raised eyebrow._

_Damn that Ravenclaw motto._

"_I- what – "stammered Harry as he tried to utter a coherent sentence.  
"Ha! I win again that's two in a row!" said a grinning Cho, "but, thanks for being such a good sport."_

Harry shook his head as another wave of memory's surged through his brain. He was only 20 feet away now…

"_You know it will be worth it right? After we win the Cup." Said Cho hoping to cheer him up. He looked up at her and grinned._

"_Yeah, I know it. At least I got to spend some time with you." Said Harry. Cho's cheeks flushed with color._

"_You really are a romantic aren't you, Potter?" said Cho as she giggled._

"_Um… Yes?" Harry had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. At his words; or rather, lack thereof Cho just giggled harder._

"_Alright, your turn Potter." Said Cho as she lay down on the ground. Harry got up and gently eased her long raven tresses to the side; he then proceeded to massage her muscles in circles, slowly releasing the knots of tension in them._

"_You're really good at this Harry." Sighed Cho as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the relaxing feel spreading from her back._

"_I could give you one every day if you'd like." Said Harry. Cho seemed happy, and when Cho was happy he felt happy._

"_I'd like that very much Harry."_

Harry had completely lost control of his brain, memories of him and Cho were flashing in rapid succession. He couldn't clear his mind… This was dangerous… 10 feet away….

"_Can you blame me? You're beautiful." Said Harry as he kissed her hard on the lips. Cho moaned into the kiss as she dug her fingers into his hair._

Harry's fingers closed around the snitch just as pain erupted throughout his body. He pulled out of the dive with one hand, his other holding the snitch up in the air. Harry grinned right before the pain overwhelmed him. He managed to dismount before clutching his scar with his free hand. Waves of memories pulsed with alternative waves of searing hot pain.

"This has never happened before, we don't know what caused it!" Harry winced as he was woken by a frantic voice. He felt that he was lying on his back. It was soft, and warm. He must be in a bed.

"There has not been another Redeemed in over 1800 years. It is only logical that his _experience_ on the pitch was part of it."

"Is he going to be alright?" asked a female voice.

"We will do everything we can. His physical injuries are not life threatening, his mental ones however may be much more severe. I know the two of you have gotten close recently, it will not be difficult but I hope your presence will help ease the pain."

"I… understand professor."

Harry sunk back into the inviting darkness after his strength faded. His dreams were horrible. Second after second, minute after minute, day after day his dreams repeated. They had only one common thread, his helplessness. He kept seeing Cho die because of him. His weakness. His fault. His lack of power. In each of his dreams Cho would die right in front of him, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was powerless. He was weak.

Harry opened his eyes and stared up into the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. He seemed to be spending a lot of time here. He realized that his cheeks were wet, he turned and realized his pillow was wet as well. As Harry sat up the Hospital Wing faded from view and he was on the Grounds. He saw Cho sitting on the grass looking up wistfully at the stars. Harry smiled until he saw them appearing out of the darkness, Death Eaters seemed to be coming out of the night, and Cho didn't know.

Harry jumped out of his bed and pressed his face against the cold glass. He saw Cho, and the dark figures approaching her. Fear engulfed his heart as he looked wildly around for his wand, he grabbed it from his bed side table and jumped through the window shattering it.

As he fell through the air Harry shot spells at the Death Eaters, not knowing or caring which spells he used. Jets of light blazed through the air. Cho had finally realized what was happing but, it was too late, a Death Eater had gotten her by the arm and was dragging her away.

"Stupefy!" roared Harry as he sent a stunner at the Death Eater that had grabbed Cho, it tore straight through the Shield Charm the Death Eater had tried to bring up, he was thrown several feet and did not rise again.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" shouted Harry as he neared the ground, the spell brought him to a halt floating several feet above the ground. Harry immediately assumed the Dragon's Peak position desperately trying to save Cho, but he wasn't calm. He knew it, and the Death Eaters knew it.

"Harry!" screamed Cho as another Death Eater grabbed her. She smashed the Death Eater in the face with her elbow and quickly blasted another one away with her wand before two more restrained her. Harry could plainly see the fear in her eyes as he redoubled his efforts. This couldn't be happening. No. He _wouldn't_ let this happen.

Spells flew from behind him at the Death Eaters. Harry strained his neck to see that Damon Chang had joined the fight. His brow was furrowed as he dueled with everything he had. A streak of light flew from Damon Chang's wand and the hair on Harry's neck stood on end. Damon Chang was dueling to kill. The two danced amid a flurry of colours as the stars twinkled above. It seemed so disconnected that the stars could be so peaceful and yet the people underneath their gaze, so violent, destructive.

"Cho!" roared Damon as he was met with fierce resistance from the Death Eaters. Harry and Damon were heavily outnumbered and the Death Eaters were getting away. Harry knew that the battle was drifting slowly out of his and Damon's reach. The two of them had the element of surprise but the superior numbers of the Death Eaters along with Cho as a hostage was turning the situation against them.

Aiming his wand at the thickest concentration of Death Eaters Harry roared, "Aduro Incendia! White light exploded from his wand as it engulfed the Death Eaters, howls of fear and agony told Harry all he needed to know. He ran towards Cho shooting stunners at everything that moved, he was about to reach her as a voice behind him spoke. "Your emotions always were you biggest weakness Harry. I have warned you, you know. Crucio."

Harry writhed in pain as knives were driven into each of his joints. His screams echoed across the grounds as Damon tried to reach him before being blocked by several Death eaters. Voldemort laughed empty and hollow as his poisonously calm tone betrayed the malice within. "You really thought that because you could beat a couple Death Eaters you actually stood a chance? Watch as we take your precious Cho, watch as you realize the truth. You. Are. Powerless."

Harry's vision was blurring, Voldemort was right. He _was_ powerless. He couldn't even save Cho. Everything had been for naught, Cho was going to be wrenched from him and he couldn't do a thing. Then a wave of spells erupted from the direction of Hogwarts. Harry turned to see Dumbledore standing with the teachers as they fought off the Death Eaters. Harry's vision was fading. Voldemort's face was contorted in fury as he was thwarted again. The last thing Harry saw before he fell unconscious was Cho's face as tears spilled from her eyes.

Harry stood at the foot of Cho's bed in the Hospital Wing. They had managed to fight off the Death Eaters but that did nothing to comfort him. He felt hollow and empty. Cho had almost been kidnapped because he was weak. He moved forward and pressed his lips onto her forehead.

"_Why did Voldemort even come? It doesn't make sense. Why would he show himself here?"_ thought Harry as has gently stroked her raven tresses.

"_Your connection Harry. He knew that you were starting to awaken your talent. He fears what you could become. He couldn't reach you inside the wards of the castle but he knows what Cho means to you. If he had her, he could simultaneously force you to confront him and blackmail her parents."_ Replied Merlin in a sullen tone.

"_Cho, I love you. I wouldn't trade a single second that we've spent together for the world but, this has to end. I can't let you get hurt because of me anymore. This is the last time you'll see me."_

Harry wrote down his thoughts on a scroll that he left on her bedside table. He gave her one last look before he walked out of the Infirmary. Harry slowly folded some of his clothes and his Invisibility Cloak into a pack that he shrugged onto his shoulders. He grabbed his Firebolt and walked out of the Common Room.

Harry walked onto the Grounds with his pack and his broom. He fastened on a traveling cloak, and turned around to take one last look at Hogwarts. He turned away sadly, as he mounted his Firebolt and left Hogwarts in the distance. At the altitude he was flying at someone could have almost mistaken his tears for the water concentration in the sky. Almost.

Thanks for the corrections and questions/reviews people!

Sachaelle, thanks for the corrections! I ended up keeping Wood as a ret-con he only plays a minor part in this story for a few chapters anyways. As for the Vrasta Vultures I remember reading that they had won the European Cup multiples times, I must've just assumed that they were in the English league.

Daithi4377, there's supposed to be a disconnect. He is only 14/15 at this point in time. He's jumping from thinking he has to kill Voldemort to trying to be normal. He just came out of a jarring near-death experience. The weirdest thing would be to try and be normal. The teachers are skeptical because most of them know about Merlin, you'd naturally assume that it was Merlin that subdued them and not Harry. As for Severus, remember that his whole this is pretending to be working for Voldemort by pretending to be working for Dumbledore. To not be there collecting Death Eaters would break the story he's telling Voldemort.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys, thanks to everyone who came back and started reading this again, and thanks to everyone that picked up the story in its new form. If you guys have any comments please review. It gives me some feedback so I can tweak the writing style etc. A bit of an overview on TPR. Since I'm heavily pulling from the original for the first chapters it hasn't really differed too much from the original version yet although that will likely change fairly soon. I will be bumping the rating on the story up to M when it does. In the later chapters there will be torture, character death, rape, and other less pleasant issues. It will get dark but that's neither here nor there right now.

Hawksong

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"My Lord," Said a cloaked figure as he kneeled before Lord Voldemort.

"Speak, Severus." Said Voldemort as he stared off into the distance.

"The boy has left Hogwarts. Dumbledore is searching frantically. The Order has sent out its best. I believe that this is not a ploy, giving the emotional distress of his friends I think he has truly disappeared." Whispered Snape, not daring to look up.

"Perhaps… He left in order to protect Miss Chang. I could see it in his eyes. Chang is his weakness, and we shall force him to expose himself."

"D- Do you propose that we attempt to capture her again?" asked Snape in a low voice.

"No… that is too obvious. Dumbledore will be watching her at school, however now that Potter has disappeared Miss Chang will be playing seeker for the England Junior National Team. If we attack her during the Junior World Cup Finals… Potter will most assuredly arrive to save her and we shall force his hand." Said Voldemort as a smile crossed his face.

"Tell Bella to assemble her people. I want them ready by the Finals of the Junior World Cup. Oh and Severus… Make sure that England makes it to the finals, or you will have me to answer to."

Snape swallowed and bowed on his way out. His head was whirling as he comprehended the information he was being given. The Dark Lord intended to ambush Potter, if Potter was ambushed, he wouldn't stand a chance. Dumbledore needed this information. The Order needed this information. _Black_ would need this information. How ironic that the enmity between Potter himself still simmered. He hoped that his use as a double agent would diminish soon, being around the Death Eaters only served to remind himself of his own weakness… A weakness that had caused Lily Evans' death.

"_The things I do for the Order. The things I do for Potter."_ Thought Severus with a pained smirk. He checked to see that no Death Eaters or Aurors were tailing him. Being a double agent came with its own share of risks. _"Out of the fire… into the darkness. How fitting for a weakling like myself."_

Harry sat in a flat overlooking Diagon Alley that he had rented. He was certain that Dumbledore would check here soon. He had figured that people didn't think he'd actually try to hide underneath their noses in the capital of wizarding Britain. He didn't plan to stay long, maybe a few months at the longest. Eventually someone would think to check Diagon Alley, and he needed to be long gone by then. He sat down and quietly sipped his butterbeer as Merlin materialized in the chair opposite him.

"You have to go back." Said Merlin as his eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. Harry's decision to leave Hogwarts hadn't sat well with Merlin. They had alternated between brooding silence and furious shouting matches since the moment he had taken up residence here.

"I can't. I want to but, I can't. If I go back Cho will get hurt because of me." Said Harry, averting his gaze.

"If you aren't there Voldemort is going to lure you out by attacking her. You won't save her by hiding!" yelled Merlin in frustration as he slammed his fist on the table. Harry winced before his annoyance and anger exploded.

"I never asked for this! You think I _want_ this? You think I _like_ this?" screamed Harry as he glared at Merlin. "I **hate** living like this! I have no parents, none of my friends are safe!"

"You sound just like Arthur, "said Merlin with a chuckle. "He said the exact same thing right before he became king. I'll tell you what I told him. We are rarely dealt the cards we want; however, that does not matter. What _does_ matter is how you play those cards."

"I can't do it Merlin. I can't see anyone else get hurt because of me. No one else." said Harry darkly as he took a swig of his butterbeer. "I should just let Voldemort kill me. It would make everything so much simpler."

"Harry no one is powerful enough to do anything by themselves. Dumbledore is talented, but talent is wasted unless someone teaches you how to use it. Arthur had skill but he had his knights to help him. Even Voldemort has his Death Eaters, no one person is strong enough to take on the world by themselves. Albus can't. Tom couldn't. Arthur knew he couldn't. I won't fool myself into thinking I can. No one is alone Harry. You have Albus, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, The Order, and you have Cho. I can't force you but remember what Albus said about Cedric. We must make the choice between doing what is right and what is easy. I hope you make a choice you'll be able to live with." Said Merlin as he disappeared into nothingness.

"I hope so Merlin, I really do," Sighed Harry. He eyed the last bit of his butterbeer before finishing it and cracking open another bottle. Harry stared down Diagon Alley, his eyes glazed over as he thought about a person a couple hundred miles from where he was at. Silent tears rolled down his cheek as he mentally cursed himself for being so weak.

Cho was heartbroken. She had awaken expecting to see Harry next to her. Instead, her heart had been smashed into a million tiny shards. She understood Harry's reason but it did nothing to mend her heart. She had spent the last four days in the Hospital Wing refusing to see anyone, not even her brother. Dumbledore insisted on seeing Cho however and she had to admit the meeting with the headmaster did help her to calm down, but it did nothing to help alleviate the pain she felt. For the second time in a two months she had lost another person close to her heart, first Cedric, now Harry.

Cho turned around away from Madam Pomfrey as tears streamed from her eyes. Harry's message had hit her hard. She had been in the process of picking up the fragments of her heart after Cedric died and Harry was helping that process, however Harry's departure had shattered her already fragile heart. Today would not be the first day she cried herself to sleep. Nor would it be the last.

Ron and Hermione were beside themselves. The two had sent owls to McGonagall, Sirius and Dumbledore almost daily asking for updates. When no such news returned, the two of them slowly settled into a life without Harry. The lack of communication with their best friend had diminished their spirits considerably. Summer just wasn't as attractive when one of your best friends was missing.

Dumbledore didn't betray it but he was panicking. He had sent the best members of the Order out to look for Harry, he knew that Voldemort would realize what was happening sooner or later so he sent Snape along with a message that Harry had gone missing. When Snape had told him what Voldemort was planning to do Dumbledore was think about what he could do, if he acted upon Snape's information Voldemort would know that Snape was a spy. If he didn't an innocent girl would lose her life. It all came down to Harry, whether Harry would take the bait.

"_I hope you love her Harry, because if you don't you will have innocent blood on your hands."_

Harry sat at his desk, putting the final changes on his letter. He knew that he risked the safety of many people with the letter but he couldn't continue living like this. Harry smiled grimly as he realized that Sirius had been living a lot worse than him for years. Living on the run was not like the movies made it out to be. Constantly being paranoid, always moving from place to place, it had been rough for a few weeks, but Sirius had done it for an unfathomable amount of time.

"_How did he do it?"_

Harry took on final look at his letter before asking Merlin to take it to the local post office. He had neglected to bring Hedwig with him when he fled Hogwarts so that was not an option, but because Death Eaters and Order members would be on the lookout for a snowy white owl he wouldn't have been able to use Hedwig anyway. The local post offices would most likely be watched my Death Eaters and Order members alike so the only option was to have Merlin take it instead of himself. He sat back in his chair silently praying that Cho would forgive the worst mistake he had ever made in his life.

"_If you forgive me Cho, I swear I'll never leave you again,"_ thought Harry as he hoped that Cho would be willing to accept his apology. He tugged at his travelling cloak to make sure it was securely fastened.

Merlin smiled as he walked out of the room, he was glad that Harry was growing up. Harry understood that there was more to the world than just your own thoughts, even if they were noble ones. It had taken himself far, far longer to realize that than Harry. Unfortunately, the kid still had a long way to go before Merlin was going to teach him any more spells. Well… maybe just _one._

Quidditch training wasn't going well. Cho was performing considerably worse than usual. Krum didn't complain too much though, given what she had been through she deserved this much leeway at the very least. He couldn't imagine what he would be like if Hermione suddenly disappeared, Cho was a far stronger person than he was, that much was certain.

The one month mark rolled around, and before Cho knew it their second match versus Ireland had rolled around. England flattened them 460-140. Cho had a suspicion that Ireland was not playing at their best, and their seeker _had_ to have been confounded. There was no way a seeker that good could have mistakenly shot off in the wrong direction when he had seen the snitch. Someone was rigging the matches, Cho didn't know who it was, but she had a growing suspicion that it involved messy black hair and emerald eyes.

"So, if ve vin the next match ve vill go to ze finals. You vill be playing against Bulgaria in ze semi finals, I must vorn you my little brother is playing seeker and he is good, better than I vas at his age." Said Krum as he and Cho worked on speed training.

"Who do we play in the finals?" asked Cho as she swerved to dodge incoming bludgers.

"Vell considering how China has veen doing, it is most likely zem." Said Krum as he hit another bludger at her. They had been working on her maneuverability. While Cho's ability to accelerate and decelerate along with her feints were top notch she still had trouble when it came to making tight turns.

"_Damn, that means I'll be flying against Kang. I __**hate**_ _it when I have to fly against Kang."_

"For now, just vork on your finesse, my little brother has the habit of feint very much."

Cho closed her eyes and sighed, it was going to be a _long _summer. Maybe she should try to move on, see some other people. Get her mind off Harry, but that wasn't going to happen, and she knew it. Harry was all she could think about, whether she wanted to or not.

"_Harry… where are you? Are you ever going to come back?"_

Dumbledore was reading in his study when Snape burst in, looking electrified. Dumbledore raised his eyebrow as he motioned for Snape to sit down, when Snape sat down Dumbledore asked, "May I ask what is the purpose of this unexpected visit?"

"It's him! It's Potter! He sent a letter to Miss Chang, we managed to intercept it just before it reached Hogwarts!" said Snape as he handed the letter to Dumbledore. Dumbledore unfolded the letter and quickly scanned it.

"Ensure that Miss Chang receives this letter, make it seem as if it has not been intercepted, with this we can make preparations, it will seem as if we came to Harry's aid and you will be able to maintain your position as a spy," Said Dumbledore as he handed the letter back to Snape. Snape nodded as he hurried from the room. As soon as Snape left the room Dumbledore let out an audible sigh as he leaned back in his chair. He really was getting to old for these things, he closed his eyes as Fawkes let out a musical song.

Cho ate breakfast with Jessika at the Ravenclaw table, and Damon was sitting opposite them. Both Jessika and Damon had tried everything to get Cho to stop thinking about Harry but nothing worked. She was still pining after him and her sanity was slowly disappearing, Jessika had heard Cho cry herself to sleep every night and felt horrible because there was nothing she could have done about it. Harry was the solution to the problem but Harry was missing.

Cho looked up as an owl dropped a letter over her head, she caught it with the reflexes that she had honed over years of quidditch training. Her heart was beating fast; hoping against reality that It was a letter from Harry, as she saw the script though, she knew it wasn't the handwriting was neat, not Harry's untidy script. The letter was from her parents.

_Dear Cho_

_We are so happy for you. Making the England Junior National Team is a great accomplishment. You have done the Chang family name proud. We are not able to make your game against Bulgaria, however when you win we will go see your game against China. We hope you enjoy the rest of you summer._

_Love,_

_Lian Chang_

_Zhu Chang_

Cho handed the letter to her brother as another owl dropped a letter over her head. She caught it and turned it over to see who it was from, with a jolt she recognized the slanted untidy script. _Harry._ With shaking hands Cho unfolded the parchment to read the letter. Jessika had seen Cho's reaction to the letter and knew it must have been from Harry, she smiled to herself and motioned to Damon.

Dear Cho

I'm so sorry. I realized what an utter moron I've been. I don't deserve you after everything I've put you through but, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise I'll never leave you again. I thought that if I left you the Death Eaters would leave you alone, but I realized that I have to stop thinking about myself and starting thinking about others, I didn't take into account how much I would hurt you and I realized that I was being a complete git. I'll be watching you play in the Finals of The Junior World Cup, if you want to talk afterwards I'll be waiting in the Three Broomsticks, second floor, first door on your left.

Love,

Harry Potter

p.s. There's so much more that I want to say but it's for your ears only.

Cho read the letter twice before daring to hope. Harry was coming back. He was begging for forgiveness. As she did the fork, she was holding, clanged as it fell onto the table. Her hands were numb as she smiled at the letter. He was coming back. Everything was going to be ok. Harry was really coming back. She was going to give him hell, that much was for sure. There was no way she would let him off the hook _that_ easily, but she knew that she would forgive him. They would have to work on their communication though. It wasn't as if he didn't have a good reason for leaving, but she wished that he would have at least talked to her about it. She wanted this relationship to work and she had an inkling that he did as well but it was only going to survive if they were honest with each other.

As they predicted China obliterated their opponents in the semi-finals and advanced to the Championship match. England versus Bulgaria would be a different story. The match drew lots of coverage, everyone wanted to know who would come out on top, Bulgaria led by Vladimir Krum? Or would England with their reserve seeker Cho Chang pull off the upset. Knowing that Harry was going to be watching for her in the Championship match Cho and the rest of the English team came out fighting. The match lasted a good five hours with England as the final victor. Cho had managed to out maneuver Vladimir Krum in the final seconds of the match, Cho catching the snitch made the final outcome an exhilarating 970-960.

Now that England had punched their ticket to the Championship the stage was set. Three different sides knowingly and unknowingly prepared to clash at the final. Fate had a sense of irony thought Dumbledore as he stroked Fawkes' plumage. Harry's fourth year had begun at a Quidditch World Cup final, now it would end at one as well. He only hoped that they would all live to tell the tale.


End file.
